On the Line
by Thorne Lockehart
Summary: Set in season 2 Flack/OC. "I was a flight risk with a fear of falling, wondering why we bother with love if it never lasts." Kylie left her husband and now lives a life looking over her shoulder. What she doesn't expect in her new job is to move on.


_**A/N: Yeah, yeah, I'm back. And better than ever! New OC named Katrina "Kylie" Sullivan with the face claim of Chyler Leigh. Short chapter to start out with, but will get longer.**_

_**Disclaimer: If you don't recognize, I most likely own it.**_

* * *

_'Cause sometimes you just feel tired_  
_Feel weak, and when you feel weak, you feel like you wanna just give up_  
_But you gotta search within you, you gotta find that inner strength_  
_And just pull that shit out of you and get that motivation to not give up_  
_And not be a quitter,  
no matter how bad you wanna just fall flat on your face and collapse._

_Eminem — 'Till I Collapse_

* * *

The night air was cold as it hit her skin as she bolted from the house, her breath ragged as she looked around wildly at the empty streets for her car. The sound of the front door slamming shut made her take a left and run even faster. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, little whimpers left her lips. There was no time to waste...he could still find her. Bobby always had the tracking skills of a bloodhound. Tomorrow, she could go back to get at least _some _clothes. Not without her stepfather or her brothers, though.

She had to get the hell out of dodge and find someplace safe. She couldn't go to her mother's house because that was the first place he'd look. He had alienated her from her friends and she was on the verge of being fired from her job because he couldn't stand her co-workers and forced her to stay home. After tonight's latest fight, she'd finally hit him over the head with the closest thing in her reach (it was a vase) and bolted.

Finally, her old, beat-up black Chevy truck came into view and she fumbled for the keys in her pocket. Thank God she remembered to keep cash in her pockets at all times and to keep her driver's license in the visor. She finally stuck them into the lock and twisted them open, leaping into the cab and shutting the door behind her, locking it securely.

Sobs racked her body as she heard him screaming her name down the street. Her hands trembled as they shoved the key into the ignition and the engine roared to life. She threw it into drive and sped away from her home, her husband, and her life.

He wouldn't find her. He wouldn't _ever _find her.

* * *

"I swear, Levi, if you drop the box, I'm going to drop-kick you."

"Kylie, you're five-six, I'm six-five. Get a ladder."

The brunette in question poked her head around a large box she carried, her eyebrows furrowing at her brother. "Yeah, I'll hit you with it," she muttered, setting down the box she had carried up five flights of stairs. Thank God this place had air conditioning. She pulled her red paisley bandanna sticking out of the back pocket of her shorts and wiped her forehead. Moving to New York at the tail end of a very hot summer was not one of her best ideas, but her job at the crime lab (starting tomorrow) was worth it.

"Yeah, but I lent it to you. You owe me a beer after making me move your truck. And dinner, too," Levi stated, running a hand over his five o'clock shadow and then through his sweaty, dark hair. Kylie rolled her eyes as she padded into the kitchen to get the beer in question.

"I helped," she protested as she pried open the door to the fridge and pulled out two bottles. Her gaze flicked to the window and she bit her lip as she took a careful swig of her beer from the arm of her couch. What if...?

No, he wouldn't find her here.

Her fingers reflexively traced the burn mark on her wrist from the element on her stove when she'd threatened to leave Bobby last time.

"He won't find you here, Lee-Lee. I'll make sure of it. I live across the hall. The doorman's seen his picture. He's not getting anywhere near you," Levi told her, his gentle tone breaking through her thoughts. Kylie gave him a soft smile and picked at the shredded hem of her cut-offs. "You'll be safe here until the divorce is final."

That was, if she ever decided to file. Unfortunately, she couldn't pretend her marriage was a bad dream when the marks her husband had left on her body were real, but filing for divorce without adultery was sorely frowned upon in her strict Catholic upbringing. She could have been vindictive and took all the money from their bank account, even though he would have deserved it. She only took what she'd needed for the move and left the rest. Her mother had given her money (as much as she could afford to give her) and her brother had taken care of the first month's rent and deposit for her.

"Thank you, Levi," Kylie told him sincerely. She twirled her slender fingers and had to admit mentally that she felt naked without the slim yellow gold diamond ring on her finger. "I mean it...for everything. I literally couldn't have done this without you."

It was the cold, hard truth. While she knew her older brother would have loved to choke the life out of Bobby for putting his hands on her in the first place, instead, he gave her a way out. Freedom.


End file.
